After
by ThePooderer
Summary: Years after the end of the series, Ryou Bakura isn't doing too well and is in desperate need of a wake up call. He gets one when Malik tells him there is a way to bring back the Yamis. But, it's going to be painful.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"Well, sometimes the end of one adventure is just the beginning of another…"

And, that's how we left it.

Isis and Odion decided to stay in Egypt, but Malik wanted to come back to Domino with us. He said he wanted to enroll in Domino High and have a normal life. Considering I live in an apartment by myself, I volunteered to house him.

I kept looking at Yugi to see how he was doing without the Pharaoh. He was silent the whole boat ride back to Egypt. He kept going through all the cards in his deck, like he was looking for something. Joey, Duke, and Tristan were playing Duel Monsters. Tea was quiet, too. Just absent mindedly thumbing through the pages of a magazine. Mokuba and Kaiba were talking Kiaba Corp business. Then, there was me. Malik kept trying to get me to talk a bit, but eventually he gave up. I was just staring out the window at the waves, lost in my own thoughts.

I don't even know what I'm trying to say. I miss Bakura? He was horrible to me, to my friends. He tried numerous times to hurt them. But, I had lived with him for years! Dad wasn't around. I was pretty much over Mom and Amane's death by now. Yet, I still didn't feel comfortable being in Yugi's group. And, I'm pretty sure they felt the same way. Bakura had taken over me one too many times. They accepted Malik so easily after his Darkness was gone. Malik even seemed better for it. He felt free to be him. But…what if I don't know who I am, now that my Darkness is gone?

I mean it's only natural to be missing a part of you that was with you for years. It'll go away. Right?

Well it hasn't. It's been years and this still consumes me.

We all graduated high school. Yes, even Joey with my tutoring. And, Malik, too! He is a great student. He worked hard to be able to graduate with all of us. Most of us have even graduated from Domino University, too. After high school, Tea went to The Juilliard School in New York. She's doing pretty well there, I hear. Yugi went on to manage his grandpa's shop and got a degree in Game Design and Development. He sometimes works with Duke and Kiaba on special projects. Joey got a degree in Marketing and is starting a consulting business with Tristan, who received a degree in Business Administration. Malik, unsurprisingly, graduated with a degree in Psychology and is looking at Graduate schools. And me? Well, I've graduated in Pre-Med. My goal is to be a Pediatrician. I'm currently looking at Medical Schools.

Although we took all the Pharaoh's lessons to heart, we started to fall apart as a group. Yes, there are the reunions for holidays and such but without the constant threat of the end of the world…we were free to concentrate on other things.

I was excited after college. I really was. Life was beginning! But, somehow applying to internships and Medical Schools have just beaten me down a bit. I've gained weight. It's not very pretty…about 30 pounds. I just can't stop eating sometimes. That's probably because of my routine. For some reason I can't go to bed before 4 am. Then I sleep all day until 4 p.m. I no longer really care about personal hygiene. I rarely comb my hair or wash my face. I'm pretty sure I brush my teeth only before going to bed. I haven't done laundry in god knows how long. I haven't changed my sheets. My room is starting to smell and I keep saying I'll do something about it tomorrow. But, I never do. And, now the groceries in the refrigerator are dwindling. I'm not going out or meeting anyone. I like the idea of having a relationship, of having someone to come home to and hold at night. But, actually going out and finding that person? No, thanks. After all, that's what I have Netflix for. And for the deeper, sexual needs. Well, I do have hands.

Sometimes, I think I should see a therapist but the thought of that, in itself, is just exhausting. Then I'd have appointments I'd have to keep.

BUZZZ.

Ugh, my head. I drank too much last night. My last drop of alcohol. I'll have to go out to get some more today.

BUZZZ…

That horrid buzzer. Who is it, now? Well I have been doing a lot of online shopping lately…yep. I know, it's super smart to do online shopping when I'm in debt from school and such but I just can't help myself. Since I've gained the weight, I need sweats. Oh, I've joined a gym…I need work out gear. Oh. I don't have anything nice to wear to holiday parties I'm not invited to…well that jacket is on sale.

BUZZZZZZ!

"Hello?"

"Ryou! It's Malik!"

Oh shit. I totally forgot! I have to clean…or something! He can't see me like this!

"Heeeeyyy….hold on. I was in the shower. Just give me a second!"

"Ry…did you forget I was coming?"

"No, I just…hold on a minute!"

I frantically stuff all my clothes in my hamper, spray some Febreeze, jump in the shower, clean myself, and towel off. I throw on some gray sweats and a white T-shirt. I don't have time for the dishes…he'll understand.

I've opened the door but I'm inside my apartment…waiting. Please say he can't tell something is wrong with me. I used to hide it so well.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii," says Malik as he opens the door. There's a smile on his face, and he is trying to kick his suitcase through the door."…Ry… um…you've gained weight," says Malik, his tan midriff taunting me. He is no longer smiling.

"Yea…but I've joined a gym, so…" I say. Oh, don't notice the empty liquor bottles scattered all over the apartment.

"Oh. Well, good for you…"

"Thanks."

Silence. Yeah, ok…he knows there's something wrong.

"Well, what have you been up to?" Malik asks as he walks into my apartment and sets up on the pull out sofa.

"Just…the same old. Applications galore. You?" I ask, praying he doesn't notice the smell.

"Oh, yea pretty much the same. I just came back from visiting Isis and Odion…" he continues but I just can't seem to pay attention. I see a gold glimmer coming from his belt loops. I inwardly gasp. No. No way.

"Malik…is that the millennium rod?" I ask, apprehensively. It can't be…

"Well," Malik grins. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi all,_

_Thank you so much for your reviews! Sorry, I haven't updated, but I'm going on vacation tomorrow and wanted to get this up. Sorry for the length. Enjoy._

SMACK.

"Malik! Tell me now or so help me…I will…do…something," I scream at the blonde Egyptian, my heart in my throat.

"…You slapped me?! Seriously, Ryou?!" he says, rubbing the red blotch on his left cheek.

"It's been five minutes! You've just stared at me for FIVE minutes! You can't just say 'Well…that's what I wanted to talk to you about' and then not say anything," I said, my voice getting louder with each sentence.

"I just wanted to check your reaction. To see if you're up for this…" he trails off, looking me up and down. Oh God, he's pitying me. Fine. Pity me. Just tell me what the fuck is that doing here?

I take a breath, eyeing the millennium rod like it's going to bite me. I look into Malik's eyes, pleading. My mouth is open. My eyes are blinking erratically. I'm tearing at my hair and pacing. I'm sure I look like I'm about to lose my mind.

"Ry…we've found a way to get Yami back. Well Yugi found it. But Isis and I have verified it. We think it can work," he says, his eyes practically shimmering. "And if it works for the Pharaoh…it can work for Bakura or Marik. If that's what you want."

"H-how?" I ask. My eye is totally twitching.

"It's complicated. And, not entirely…well you'll see." Malik takes a deep breath. "Although we were physically separated from our Yamis, they can still be a part of us."

"…what," is all I can muster.

"I created my Yami. You two can do the same."

_Please read and review._


	3. Chapter 3

After

A/N: So sorry for the absence! Over a month, eh…that's not good. I had writer's block and had an idea for another non-YGO story that I just had to get out. Damn you, Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyway, off we go! Read and review, please!

Chapter 3:

"Malik, whatever the pain I face, it won't be nearly as bad as living without him." I say as I put my hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.

"Good answer." Malik says, talking his cell phone out of his pants pocket. "Go pack for Egypt. We'll leave as soon as you're ready." He said to me, as he pushed a few buttons and held his phone up to his ear. "Yugi, Ryou is in. Meet us at the airport."

I rushed to my room, throwing some clothes into a duffle bag. I ran into my bathroom, throwing some toiletries into it and ran back to Malik. It didn't really matter what I packed.

We took a taxi to the airport and met up with Yugi. My anxiety over seeing him disappeared as he ran up to me and hugged me. I laughed and hugged him back. I'm starting to feel like myself again.

We boarded the plane and sat next to each other. After a few hours of catching up, we fell silent. I turned on my iPod and started listening to music so I wouldn't jump out of my skin. Malik just flipped through magazines and Yugi stared out the window.

Malik had booked rooms for all of us at a hotel near the airport. We checked in and then gathered in Malik's to talk. Isis and Odion joined us.

Malik explained that it was the pain he went through during the Tomb Keeper's Initiation that created his yami. So ideally, we all just needed to replicate it in order to bring our yamis back. Now, this initiation isn't just getting a back tattoo and looking like that serial killer guy in that movie. They will carve and burn symbols into my flesh. And, this wasn't something we were going to do in the hotel. Isis thought it would be more symbolic for all this to happen at the Pharaoh's Tomb, which they had restored.

We headed off to the Tomb and walked down the steps into it. All three of us – Malik, Yugi, and me – were going to undergo the Initiation in separate rooms. Malik went into the first, Yugi the second and I was in the third. I walked into my room and took a deep breath. I looked at the stone slab I was meant to lie down on. Odion and Isis were going to be doing the Initiation, working on each of us one by one.

I lied down on my stomach, closed my eyes and tried to quiet my mind. What if it didn't work? What if it did and Bakura didn't want me anymore? Would it be the same as it was? What if—

I winced as I heard Malik screaming. Every hair on my body stuck up and every inch of me was covered in goose bumps. What had I gotten myself into? How much do you have to love someone to basically give yourself dissociative identity disorder to get them back?

Malik kept screaming. He screamed so much his voice gave out. It took hours. Well, it felt like hours. I was in a dark tomb with no watch and no sense of time, hearing one of my best friends going some of the worst pain in his life.

I gulped when I heard Yugi screaming. I shut my eyes tight and started replaying memories of the good times Bakura and I had together. Soon, Yugi's voice failed him, too. Finally, Isis and Odion came into my room. Immediately I threw up at the sight of them. Isis' dagger was stained with dried blood. Odion went to the far left corner of the room and heated up the coals. I was terrified.

"Ryou, are you sure you want to go through this?" Isis asked. Her hands were shaking.

"Yes, I'm ready. This is what I want." I took of my shirt and laid down again. The stone felt cool against my chest, but I started sweating as Isis and Odion walked closer. Odion took the dagger from Isis and went to heat it up. I shut my eyes tight. Isis chained my arms and legs to the slab so I wouldn't move. She stuffed a gag in my mouth. The room was silent except for the crackling and popping of the coals. After I while I heard Odion take the dagger out of the coals. I heard his footsteps walk towards me. I opened my eyes and tried to relax my body.

This is for you, Bakura. I love you.

The pain that I felt as the blade cut my skin was indescribable. I felt every one of those degrees in the heat of the knife. I thought I was going to die. I could hear the sizzling of my skin, the smell kept making me gag. As I gagged, I fought against the restraints. I didn't even realize I was screaming until my throat starting hurting as well. My voice died. It was all I could do to just whimper. I was wrong, this was worse than any pain I have ever imagined! My eyes were shut tight and I was trying to remember the good times but all I saw was darkness with spots of white and red. I felt myself starting to lose consciousness. Isis wasn't even halfway done yet. As I passed out, I heard that familiar, rough voice…

"Ryou?"

"Bakura!"

-Chapter end-

A/N: See? Patience is a virtue! Read and review, please.

It won't take me over a month next time


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